Posts tagged as:

Private School Admissions

Choices in Private School Admission

by NYC Private Schools on March 2, 2010

Having options is a basic factor in our society and having and selecting between your NYC Private School options is important even down to the very last minute of your decision. If your child has received an acceptance from their Top Choice school then there probably isn’t too much of a decision left. If, however, your child has received admissions to two schools then you have a few more choices to make before taking that final step.

Multi-School Options

There are some ways to help you make your decision regarding which school to pick.

  1. Visit the school again to help your child (and you!) get a more official feel for what it would be like there.
  2. Consider tuition costs, additional fees for sports, afterschool programs or expected donations.
  3. Look at the transportation to and from the school and how much time your child may spend “in transit” rather than in school or at home. You may be surprised at how often this is a deal breaker for some families!
  4. If you have experienced a change in your Financial Status since you first applied, or expect to experience one soon due to unstable job markets, don’t hesitate to talk to your school counselor about the possibility of Financial Aid.

When the worlds of choices are opened up, they can often seem to multiply again and again until it is difficult to choose at all. Take our advice and break down the aspects of choice that matter to you and then compare.


{ 0 comments }

Private School Admissions Tales

by NYC Private Schools on February 26, 2010

The tests used by many schools to determine admissions to private schools can offer up conflicting and sometimes unexpected results. There are different tests for just about every age group and school type. There are tests for elementary, middle and high school Private Schools, tests for Catholic Schools and Public School gifted and talented programs. It seems that no matter where you go there is a test to determine your child’s ability to satisfy the rigors of a particular academic program.

The ISEE is one of the admissions tests that are used by many Private Schools. Though taken at the different levels, generally you can say that the ISEE consists of an essay and standardized verbal and quantitative reasoning tests that measure a student’s capability for learning, and reading comprehension and mathematics. Test results are supposed to give specific information about an individual student’s strengths and weaknesses.

Not every family is satisfied with the ISEE results, however. One Private School parent said:

Our son just had a bad day the day that he took the test. He woke up miserable; he was uncharacteristically tired and moody even though we had made sure that he was well rested the night before the test. We had to accept his rather miserable scores that day and move on. He wasn’t eligible to retake the ISEE for 6th months and the school received the score because he had to put down the school code when he signed up for the test. We had to rely on a great interview and rock solid application.

Another family, who had a child take a popular IQ test used by many schools, said:

Our daughter’s results weren’t just “Not top tier,” they were below average. It may have been the single most disappointing moment I have had as a parent. How would any school look past a below average score to see the bright, inquisitive but inconsistent child, a child so ready and happy to learn but still young enough to be distracted by a sunny day outside?

In the end, both of these children were accepted into the schools that they applied to, to the somewhat amazed delight of their parents. While testing is a crucial part of the Private School admissions process, the right school will look at the child beyond the scores.


{ 0 comments }

Crowding in the NYC School System

February 5, 2010

There are many factors that have gone into creating the current school availability crisis in NYC Schools and crowding in the schools seems to be one of the biggest obstacles to overcome.
Some of the reasons for availability shortages in NYC Schools are

More children. The biggest single reason is that more families are [...]

Read the full article �

Check on Those Referral Letters

December 30, 2009

As the NYC Private School Admissions seasons is coming to a rather dramatic head, many parents are creating mental checklists of the items they need to finish up in order to have a clear and complete application.
Because many students have their applications completed with the addition of a referral letter or two, finding out if [...]

Read the full article �

Private School Choices

November 30, 2009

Private School choices offer students and their families the opportunity to tailor the educational experience they wish for. Instead of having your child enrolled in the closest public school, or the one with more room, where the academic program is geared towards passing specific tests in order to ensure future government funding for the [...]

Read the full article �

Consider the Less Traveled Path

June 18, 2009

As a private schools educational consultant for over ten years, I speak to a lot of families about their most dearly held hopes for their preschoolers. In my experience, more liberal parents usually dream about Dalton and Ethical Culture, while more traditional parents dream about the single sex schools and Trinity.
It’s striking how [...]

Read the full article �

Emily Glickman Joins NYC Private Schools Blog as a Contributor

June 16, 2009

We are excited to announce that Emily Glickman, who runs Abacus Guide Educational Consulting, will join us as a regular blog contributor in the area of private school admissions.
Emily Glickman is an educational consultant and writer based in New York. She runs Abacus Guide Educational Consulting, a well-known firm that helps New York City and [...]

Read the full article �

ISAAGNY Private Schools in NYC

May 1, 2009

photo credit: Er.We
Many families request information about ISAAGNY Private Schools in NYC and what that means. The ISAAGNY acronym is used frequently among many social groups and forums for NYC Parents, so it isn’t a surprise that there is so much curiosity about it.
Many, but by no means all, of NYC Private Schools [...]

Read the full article �

NYC Private School Comparisons

March 4, 2009

photo credit: paulo.barcellos
If your child has received acceptance letters to more than one NYC private school, you will then have to make the family decision of which school to send your child to. If your child is older, then he or she will obviously be more involved in the final choice, but for [...]

Read the full article �

NYC Private Schools and Waitlisting Scenarios

March 2, 2009

photo credit: visualpanic
If your child was waitlisted at one of your top choice NYC private schools, don’t despair. You have options. There are many different scenarios for families with children in this situation, so let’s discuss a few of them, in order of best case to worst case.

Scenario 1: Your child [...]

Read the full article �

Bad Behavior has blocked 500 access attempts in the last 7 days.